Patterns

August 17, 2015

Stuff . . . and Life

While I may not be quilting much, or even writing or reading blog posts much, I have been busy.
Busy dealing with stuff. Busy purging.

We've lived in our house for close to 27 years! Never in my wildest dreams did I think we'd still be in the same house all these years later. In that amount of time ALOT of stuff accumulates.
Too much stuff. Way way too much stuff.

Inside stuff . . .

Garage stuff . . .

Side yard stuff . . .

Least you think we live in chaos or like slobs, rest assured we don't. Those piles are a result of dragging lots of stuff out and piling it up. It's not the way things normally look around here. Really.

Most stuff is neatly stored in clear plastic boxes. But it's still stuff . . . stuff we don't have room for. Stuff we don't use. Stuff we don't need. Stuff like these craft supplies and old fabric remnants that I'll never use again.

When you have three artists in the family, that means way more stuff than perhaps the average household. Our son is the only one with a minimalist approach to his stuff. I appreciate that Jordan. Thanks

My husband uses found objects in his work. Translation = boxes of junk. Mostly good junk, but junk none-the-less. A lot of fun stuff went into this piece . . .

My daughter has always been an artist and has always collected stuff. Translation = boxes of arty stuff. Good stuff, but stuff none-the-less. As a jewelry artist doing handmade markets, Emily shleps a lot of stuff to each and every show she does . . .

I've had my fair share of crafty ventures including scrapbooking, home dec and garment sewing, and of course quilting. Translation = boxes of fabrics and craft supplies. Good stuff, but stuff none-the-less.

My studio holds a lot of stuff and sometimes looks like this . . .

Thankfully if more often looks like this . . .

But seriously . . . How many quilts can I make? I don't need all that fabric. While the big boxes above were full of home decor and garment fabrics, the ones below are just a few of the good quilting fabric boxes I need to purge. Maybe in the form of using them in quilts for charity. Maybe?

All three of us have been purging this summer. Whittling away at things here and there when we have time. Trying hard to make a dent in 27 years worth of stuff. Moving every so often would have been easier I think.

It feels good to be making progress. To see boxes piling up for garage sale, donation or the trash can. At this point we might need a small dumpster for all the lumber and big items getting tossed. Hopefully the end is in sight. It won't be all done. But it will so much better. So freeing. So unburdened.

I look forward to quilting again with a new purpose and less weight. : )

9 comments:

I too am trying to purge the "stuff" that accumulates. If you find any abandoned quilt projects, I am holding a blog event in September where you can offer it up for adoption for someone else to finish. It feels so good to pass them along to someone who will finish them!

I have adopted a more realistic plan of "what will I have time for" and I want to have time for the amazing new fabrics! Fortunately, I have a neighbor who has just started quilting and needs some stash. I keep a stack of give-away fabric by the door for when she comes over. It makes us both happy!

I have just moved all the stuff (our last move was just 5 years ago and for that we had the big bin on the driveway twice before we moved) without a purge and so I am doing it at this end. It makes unpacking slower however. It is an interesting balance between having sufficient raw materials to be creative and having too much on hand. I hope you have been enjoying the sorting and purging.

My husband and youngest thrilled at the prospect of piggybacking on our next door neighbor's garage sale. He wanted to purge. She wanted camp cash. However, I purged two years ago, when we moved here. They were trying to sell items I was saving I'm my memories box!

I started purging a few years ago. I had yard sales for about 3 years because I lived somewhere I could have them. We moved and then we started giving away to Habitat for Humanity. Some things I give to Goodwill and Salvation Army and some I sell on eBay. Still have so much to go through, I inherited tons of stuff from my mother who inherited it from her mother. It takes up space ! And is a big weight around my neck.

I often purge 'stuff'. I'm definitely due for another one! If it hasn't been used in a couple of years it has to go! Fabric that I'll never use, craft books and magazines with dated projects all get sent to the thrift shop! I find it very liberating! I bet you do too!

Just starting a major pre-move purge here. Amazing how much has piled up just in the 8 years since our last big move. I'm estimating that a good half of what we ship to the new place will be fabric bins from my sewing room. Creative supplies are so hard to let go of!